The attractions of Vienna delighted Savremena’s second-graders on their study trip

Second-grade students of Savremena Gimnazija recently returned from an exciting study trip that took place in the capital of Austria, the imperial city of Vienna. During their three-day stay, they had the opportunity to visit and see numerous attractions of one of the most beautiful European cities, its richly decorated palaces, the labyrinth of Schönbrunn Castle, Belvedere Castle, museums, as well as Prater, the oldest amusement park in the world.

Immediately upon their arrival, the students went on a panoramic tour of the city: Vienna State Opera, Volksgarten, Museum of Applied Arts, Museum of Natural History, Schönbrunn Palace, Parliament, Vienna City Hall (Rathaus), MuseumsQuartier, Vienna Secession Building, Charles Church, etc. Such beauty greeted them at the very beginning – the adventure could begin!

Schönbrunn Palace with the oldest zoo in Europe and the Natural History Museum with over 500,000 exhibits

The students had the opportunity to see the evidence of its vivid history during the second day of their trip when they visited Schönbrunn Palace, where the oldest zoo in Europe is located. This zoo is also known as a home to very rare animal species, such as giant pandas. The Palace has been on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 1996. At the top of the hill is the Gloriette, which was used as a dining room and reception hall, and today it has been transformed into the largest cafe in Vienna. There is an attractive panoramic view from the top of Gloriette.

The students then visited the Natural History Museum, one of the world's largest museums of its kind with as many as 500,000 exhibits. The main attraction of the museum is the Venus of Willendorf, a small but very expressive statue about 29,500 years old. The museum has the largest and oldest public collection of meteors in the world. There are also rich collections of minerals, precious stones and rare fossils. What particularly drew the attention of our students were the dinosaur skeletons.

Greatest works of art and an exciting rollercoaster ride

The third day was reserved for visiting the Belvedere Castle. The complex consists of two palaces and a garden and is the work of the architect Lucas von Hildebrandt from the 17th century. Originally, this was the summer residence of Prince Eugene of Savoy, and later the home of Franz Ferdinand. Today, both palaces are museums dedicated to Austrian paintings of the 19th and 20th centuries, where our students had the opportunity to see the works of Klimt, Schiele and Oskar Kokoska.

Finally, they headed to Prater – one of the largest European amusement parks, located in the second district of this city, Leopoldstadt. The amusement park got its name from the attraction of the same name – the Prater Tower, a merry-go-round that offers a beautiful view of the entire park and a part of the Austrian capital.

Our students enjoyed the turbulent rollercoasters, dizzyingly high merry-go-rounds and monsters lurking from the darkness of the haunted house, and the less brave ones used the time to try some of the Viennese specialties.

Savremena’s second-graders gained wonderful life experience

Savremena’s second-graders left the capital of the mighty Austro-Hungarian Empire on the banks of the beautiful blue Danube satisfied and with a new wonderful life experience. While they are recounting their adventures and making a collection of memories, they are slowly dreaming about a new study trip!

I am extremely pleased and proud to be the parent of a Savremena student. During my first encounter with the school management, when I asked about my child’s potential enrolment, I saw how much love, enthusiasm and professionalism you put in your work. I was impressed by your approach, ideas and methods. I couldn’t believe something like this existed in our country! It doesn’t take long to realise that this is a school you would recommend to everyone. Creativity, modern technology, top-quality education, and most of all, the humaneness that can be seen throughout the school, make it truly different and worthy of its name – Savremena Gimnazija. With such an approach, the success of this school and, consequently, our children’s success, is unavoidable. Congratulations! Jelena Đorđević, Andrija’s mum
Contemporary in any sense of the word, our school offers functional knowledge and quality preparation for tertiary education in Serbia and abroad. Implementing modern and creative teaching in the classroom, where the teachers’ pedagogy and students’ performance are aligned with the highest academic standards for the high-school finals, our school develops linguistic, mathematical, scientific, artistic, cultural, technical and ICT competence, which is a prerequisite for further education and professional development. Teaching is supported by the interactive whiteboards and educational software, whereas practice exercises research and critical thinking.